Till the End of Time
by NihonMorgan14
Summary: That fateful day, what if Jesse was too late? What if Winnie got to the spring before Jesse could tell her not to drink from it? What would happen then?
1. The Wood

_**Disclaimer: I do not own **__**Tuck Everlasting**__** or the characters in my fanfiction. I do use lines from the movie and book in my fanfiction, which, if you didn't already guess, are not mine either.**_

**Hey you guys! I have been super, super busy! But it's been so fun! Mostly (a-ha-ha, high school scares me)…**

**Anyway, "By Your Hand" will be updated (If you read it) so do not fret! I decided to do this story, though, because I absolutely adore ****Tuck Everlasting****. I think Winnie made the right decision **_**if**_** it was real life. But for story purposes and stuff, I think she really should have drunken that water! Urgh! I wanted her to be with Jesse forever and ever and ever and everrrrrrrrrrrr! :O **

**So that's what this is going to be about! I read a lot of fanfictions on ****Tuck Everlasting****, but I wanted to make mine a little different. I'm going to take it more of the "movie"-pathway, mostly because Winnie is older in the movie and that works out for what I want to do. So to refresh, if you forgot, Jesse is 17 and Winnie is 15 (In the movie! I am **_**not**_** using her original age).**

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><p>"A proper education gains one's <em>entré <em>into society," my mother began.

"Your mother and I have given this a great deal of thought," my father interjected. All I could do is listen silently.

"Middlehouse Academy for girls," she hurried to finish her statement, as if I would run off, "in Pensford, has an excellent reputation."

"Middlehouse?" I would not be sent away to that school. How could they? Those girls are all the same and horribly boring, "But that's a terrible place, everyone says so. It's like a jail."

I fought back, but my mother just kept retorting, "Nonsense. Girls emerge from there as refined, young ladies well-versed in etiquette and manners, both of which you are sorely lacking."

This always made me feel horrible, as if I wasn't good enough the way I was. I liked who I was, Winnie Foster, myself. "But I don't want to be one of those girls."

"Which is precisely why you must go. I cannot let your unbridled nature ruin your chances for a respectable future."

"Winifred…" my father spoke quickly, "I'm sorry… But we have to do what's best for you."

"I won't do it," I stated, gripping the arms of my chair, "I'm not like those girls… I won't go!"

And I actually did run off. I couldn't take it anymore! How could my parents, my own mother and father, do this to me! It just wasn't fair! "Winifred!" I heard my mother's strict voice call after me.

"I won't go!" I screamed back, on the verge of tears, I was so angry.

My parents wanted to send me away, send me so far away! They hadn't even let me step outside the yard, yet they'll send me _hundreds_ of miles away. I kept running, making my feet hurt as I pounded onto the ground as hard as I could out of anger and frustration. Finally, I reached the fence, the stupid, iron fence that always kept me chained here in this house. I tightly gripped the iron rods of the fence. Sighing, I released my grip, letting my hands fall back to my sides where they belonged. "If my parents are going to ship me off like this, then I'm at least going to live before they do!" I thought to myself, exiting the gate. I really didn't know where I was going, but I just wanted to keep going. So I did; and I walked straight in the wood. Today, I, Winnie Foster, would live my life the way I wanted to.

I waltzed through the wood, enjoying myself. I'd never felt more free in my life, yet I was only steps away from my home! I kept going, never looking back, not once. The wondrous sights filled my head—the beautiful trees twirling up to touch the sky, leaves falling to the ground in front of me, and even a rabbit scurried across the path I was taking. I wandered and wandered until the only indication that I had been out here far too long was the sun that was beginning to set. "Well, it was wonderful while it lasted…" I mumbled to myself.

However, I couldn't deny it, my heart was soaring. My feet were sore and my throat was as dry as the air on this hot August day, yet my heart soared. I was _happy_. It wasn't really a feeling I often got. Sure, I wasn't ever really sad, but you really could not call me "happy". I wandered around some more until I finally came to the final conclusion that I was lost. Dashing through and snapping stray tree branches, I reached a clearing. It wasn't much, but there was a tree that had fallen over, what luck I had! I sighed with such relief as I rested my feet. Sitting there silently, I heard something. Something… Bubbling? Gurgling? Maybe there was a river! I remember my father talking about how you should always follow a stream if you're lost… Right? Maybe that was wrong…

Getting up on my sore feet, I tried to find where the noise was coming from. Then, I spotted a shimmer out of the corner of my eye. Looking over, I saw a small spring in which the setting sun shined upon. "Ah, water!" I croaked with joy, completely parched. Kneeling down, I pulled my hair back and brought my face in closer to the spring. Making my hands into a tiny bowl shape, I dunk them into the water, scooping the cold substance up. The first drop of water slid down the back of my throat, and it felt like… Heaven! The water immediately moistened my dirt-dry throat. I gulped handfuls and handfuls of the water. With my thirst finally quenched, I wobbled up to my feet, which were only a bit sore now. I felt much, _much_ better. I wiped my mouth with the corner of my sleeve, refreshed. I turned around to head back home, but I guess that never happened. Because, when I turned around, there was a young boy staring at me, a young _attractive_ boy. And the look he gave me was enough to send shivers up and down your spine several times, which I think happened. His face was horrorstricken.

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><p><strong>I know, I know it's short. But didn't it seem like an excellent place to leave you guys hanging? Ha-ha, it did to me! No, really this is basically the introduction to the story. I promise the next chapter is longer. This fanfiction will have set release dates, unlike my other story, so be sure to check it out each week! This will be updated once a week. I'll usually try to get it uploaded Sunday, but don't fret if it isn't up on Sunday. I promise there will always be a chapter a week. Note: The first like 3 three chapters will be closely compared to the movie, but after that, I promise it starts to branch out.<strong>

**Please review! **


	2. One Drink of Water and I'm Kidnapped?

_**Disclaimer: Of course I don't own **__**Tuck Everlasting**__** or any of the characters from it. Also, some quotes or lines from either the movie or book may be used.**_

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><p><strong>Thank you to everyone that reviewed! <strong>**queenOfH3X, Neonkitty, Chelsea, Elizabeth1603, Tvnut loves Richard Cypher, and SummerRay2010:**** Thank you so much for your reviews! They mean the world to me. :D Well, I hope it's well-written, because I'm having "High-School-Scares-Me-Syndrome". My first day of high school is tomorrow… Wish me luck… **

**Okay you guys here's chapter two! **

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><p><em><strong>Previously:<strong>_ _**Getting up on my sore feet, I tried to find where the noise was coming from. Then, I spotted a shimmer out of the corner of my eye. Looking over, I saw a small spring in which the setting sun shined upon. "Ah, water!" I croaked with joy, completely parched. Kneeling down, I pulled my hair back and brought my face in closer to the spring. Making my hands into a tiny bowl shape, I dunk them into the water, scooping the cold substance up. The first drop of water slid down the back of my throat, and it felt like… Heaven! The water immediately moistened my dirt-dry throat. I gulped handfuls and handfuls of the water. With my thirst finally quenched, I wobbled up to my feet, my feet only a bit sore now. I felt much, much better. I wiped my mouth with the corner of my sleeve, refreshed. I turned around to head back home, but I guess that never happened. Because, when I turned around, there was a young boy staring at me, a young attractive boy. And the look he gave me was enough to send shivers up and down your spine several times, which I think happened. His face was horrorstricken.**_

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><p>He stared at me, and I stared at him. I felt mute, I couldn't say anything; I just stood there. But, then again, he just stood there, too. Finally, he broke the silence. "You just drank that water…?" he mumbled and pointed a finger.<p>

Slowly, I took a small step back; I started to breathe heavier, "W-Why is that any of your business?" I tried to sound strong, but I thought I was miserably failing.

"Oh, god; Oh please, tell me you didn't just drink that water!" the boy begged.

"What are you ranting on about? What's so wrong about me drinking some water?" I had no clue why he was going on about this.

I turned to start walking back, and he gripped my arm, tightly, "Hey, wait!"

"No! Get off; my father will have you arrested!" I yelled, yanking away.

I ran off, and in the distance, I could hear him chasing after me, "you're not actually gonna' tell 'im, are 'ya!"

This boy had a major accent, but it was kind of cute. I shook my head as hard as I could, which almost caused me to trip. Why was I thinking of this! This boy could be a robber or something! Why was he in _my_ woods anyway! "Hey, don't run away!" I heard him shout.

I turned my head for a slight moment to see if I could catch a glimpse of where he was, but when I did, I ran into something. "Ooff!" The wind was knocked out of me as someone grabbed me from behind, "Ah!" I screamed. "Get off me!"

The boy was standing in front of me now, panting, "Hey, Miles, leave her alone!" I couldn't believe this boy was defending me… Does that mean that he wasn't trying to hurt me earlier? "You can't do this! We can't."

"There's no other way, Jesse!" and with that the other male scooped me up and put me on his horse. It must be Let's-Kidnap-Winnie day—yippee.

No matter how much I struggled or screamed, he never let go. He never even loosened his grip. And before I knew it, he was on the horse, too, galloping off only deeper into the woods; and once again, his hands never came off of me. If anything, I can only presume that his grip got tighter. This, actually, I was grateful for, because I really didn't want to fly off this horse as fast as this man was going. I could still hear the boy I had meet earlier in the background, Jesse, as the man called him. "Miles!" he yelled. Looking back, I didn't see anyone though.

And then the voice of Jesse disappeared. There went my slight bit of comfort. You'd think I would have lost it a long time ago, but Jesse made me feel comfortable. Around him, I wasn't really scared to be myself. And now that he was gone from sight, and I couldn't hear him anymore, I was starting to get panicked.

After a little time on the horse, we neared another clearing, but this time, bigger. There was a giant lake and even a cabin. These people must be robbers; they must be after my money or something. The man finally pulled the horse to a stop, and he yanked me off, "Ah! Don't touch me! Ah!"

"Miles! Leave the poor girl alone!" a woman cried, running over, just as the man pushed me aside to the ground.

"I found her by the spring, with Jesse. Apparently, she drank the water. Imma' beat Jesse for that mouth," he was really mad. Why was everyone _so_ upset because I drank some water! Technically, it was_ my_ water in the first place! I would definitely be sure to bring that fact up later, but not now. Right now, I'm a bit too shocked to say much.

"Oh, god; It's finally happened," the woman mouthed.

Finally gathering all my courage, I spoke up. "What's going on? Why am I here? Why did you bring me here?" I sobbed.

"Oh, dear child, don't cry. We're not bad people."

"Then, why did you bring me here?" I demanded, scared out of my mind—who wouldn't be!

"Don't worry, child. We won't hurt you," she just kept repeating. It seemed as if she were doing it not to calm me, yet to calm herself.

She was fidgeting and pacing back and forth. In her hands, she held a music box, which she wound and wound, letting it play. The melody was so familiar; I know I'd heard it before. I thought for a while. Oh, that was right! That man, in the yellow suit, he had been whistling it!

It had all happened the other night. A man in a dull yellow suit had come to my house when I was outside trying to catch the fireflies. He had frightened me a bit, but I didn't really think much of it. Although, he started asking me some questions and my mother came out. She was furious, and when he asked her a question also, she responded rudely and told him to leave. Shortly after that, she corralled me inside and scolded me, of course. Anyway…

Eventually, she took me inside the house. It was a very _unique_ home, as I'd never seen one like it before, but really what was that saying? I'd only been in my house. Maybe everyone else's house looked like this! But for some reason, I knew they didn't. But, I liked this house. It wasn't like my home, which seemed a prison. Instead, it seemed like a home—a place where a family lives together in peace and happiness. We waited for a long time, it seemed, but she didn't really seem rushed. She made small talk with me and I found myself opening up to her, pretty quickly actually. Then, a man came in, followed by Jesse, the boy from the clearing, and Miles, the one who had taken me here. Jesse smiled at me, and the man came in, wondering aloud, "Where's the child?"

"Oh, she is far from a child, Tuck… More a woman."

The man pulled a wooden chair up and sat sluggishly down in front of me. He looked like he was contemplating something and couldn't make up his mind. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. And even though I hate to say it, I feel bad for him. Even though these people kidnapped and refuse to tell me what's going on, I feel bad for them. Because right now, the sullen looks on all of their faces, reminds me of myself sometimes. Yet, it's different in a way, and this just makes me feel worse. Suddenly, a sensation overcomes me and I feel obligated to reach out and comfort the weeping man in front of me. Sure he's not weeping on the outside, but it sure seems like he is on the inside. And so, I do. Reaching my hand out, I place it atop of his cracked, wrinkled hand and squeeze it. I had the urge to ask him why he looks so sad, but I kept my mouth shut and just sat there with my hand on his. Once I put my hand on his though, he glanced down at it quickly and then faced me. Standing up, he looked a bit hopeful. "What's your name, child?" he smiled.

"Winifred, Winnie, Foster," I replied, a tiny smile hiding on my lips.

"Well, Miss Foster, shall we eat?" and all attention was brought to the small, beaten-down table. They all had introduced themselves: Jesse Tuck, Miles Tuck, Angus Tuck (who prefers "Tuck"), and Mae Tuck.

We all sat down around the tiny table and it was soon full of flapjacks, which is what Mae had made for supper. Compared to what I usually ate for supper, this was quite different. I had no clue what to say. Everyone else started eating their food, and I just sat there. What the heck was I doing? I've been kidnapped and now I'm sitting down and eating supper with them? "My father will come looking for me," I spat out.

Tuck looked down at his plate and ate another fork-full, or handful, of flapjacks, "Your father will cut down the entire forest the way things are changing around here," he licked his fingers, "Make himself a very rich man."

"My father has plenty of money," and for a moment I stopped to think if that was such a good thing, but I pushed the thought aside, "He'll pay. Anything you want."

"I don't want your father's money, Miss Foster," Tuck said back. In a way, I already knew he didn't, but I decided to continue pressing the subject.

"Then let me go home," I said, looking back down at the table once more.

"We have to be able to trust her," he wasn't speaking to me anymore; instead he was speaking to everyone else, "after what happened, this will be difficult."

"After what happened?" I questioned. It seemed I was not getting any answers today.

Tuck stood up and wiped his face with his arm, "It's late. Everyone should get some rest. We'll discuss things tomorrow."

I was still being denied the answers I think I deserved. Mae showed me to a bed and hung up a quilt for privacy. This certainly wasn't anything like my room, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing—just like everything else. My room had a big and empty feeling, but here, this felt warm and cozy and safe. I undid the front of my dress as she talked to me about things: a cradle, Jesse and Miles sleeping in the loft, the breezes. I enjoyed listening to her. She was very different from my own mother. It wasn't that I didn't love my mother, but she's so strict and uptight. Mae seems easy to talk to and very kind. However, I'm keeping to myself. Sometimes, I have to resist the urge to talk to her. Her voice is so inviting, just asking me to join into conversation, but I try to ignore it, hoping they'll take me home. It wasn't until she asked me, "Oh that corset looks painful; may I help you off with it?"

The corset really was horrid; I could scarcely breathe in it. And she was being so kind to me, certainly not like a kidnapper. So after a few moments I slightly nodded my head and turned to let her undo the corset. "Oh, honestly, I can't understand why women torture themselves this way. It's no way to live," she looked up at me and smiled gently.

And the curiosity of the thousands of questions running through my head got the better of me, "Do you have a daughter?" I suddenly asked. I felt so comfortable with her, like she could never hurt me. Like she was my friend, the friend I'd never had before now. The friend I wanted and _needed_.

She looked a bit shocked at first, but warmed up, "A granddaughter," she fiddled with her necklace, "And a grandson." Her necklace turned out to be a locket with two children in it. The first one she nodded to was a little girl with dark hair. "Anna." The second was a little boy with fairer hair. Both had a smile on their faces. "And Bo; ah, Miles loved them so."

"What happened?" I asked weakly.

She took a deep breath then continued, "They died. Their mother, too," she went back to undoing my corset, "I'm afraid the good parts of Miles died with 'em. You'll have to forgive what's left of 'im."

"I'm sorry," I said. I should've never asked.

"Well, it's the way things are Miss Foster," things went silent until she spoke again, in a happier tone, "May I call you Winnie?"

I was actually happy. Someone calling me Winnie would make me feel special in a way. Even my parents called me Winifred. So I looked back at her and happily nodded with a smile on my face to express my joy. We continued to talk on about my family. She asked if I had any siblings, and I responded by telling her that I didn't and briefly told her about my parents instead. "There," she said as she finished undoing my corset. We continued to talk, though. This time about Miles and Jesse and where they would go. Then, she helped me into a large, white shirt. I buttoned it up the front. This was a lot different than I was used to. Everything was _so_ different here. It's as if I'm in a whole different world. Perhaps I am. And I feel happy, too, which is odd because I am supposed to be a poor girl who's been kidnapped. I felt a bit sad, maybe even lonely when Mae turned to leave, but she turned back, "I hope you'll be comfortable here… It's a good feeling having another woman here," she smiled, "Try and get some sleep now."

She disappeared behind the quilt. And before I settled down and blew out the candles, I looked around and admired the little house. I thought back on the day, letting my thoughts race through my head. This was the first night, ever, that I would fall asleep a different person. Tonight, I would fall asleep being myself for once. Being _Winnie Foster._

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><p><strong>How was it? For the photos of Anna and Bo, I didn't want to make them too descriptive. Even for their hair colors I just said dark or light hair. This is because the time period I'm only imagining, if they had pictures, that they'd be in black and white, not color. So that's why. Also, if you think it sounds a little repetitive with all of the "different's" and all that, then it's supposed to. She's taking everything in and going back and forth.<strong>

**Just for future references, in case anyone was wondering, this story will always be in Winnie's perspective (Unless I like go to 3****rd**** person). I'm not really good at switching perspectives a whole lot. Anyway, this story is all Winnie's point of view. Please Review! **


	3. A Lot to Take In

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Tuck Everlasting, of course, or the quotes from the movie or book used in my story.**_

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><p><strong>Well, the first couple chapters are going to be very similar to the movie, but please bear with it. Consider this the "foundation". This chapter consists of a lot of the JesseWinnie romance from the movie. This chapter will be the last chapter of the "foundation" and next chapter it will start branching off. **

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><p><em><strong>Previously: She disappeared behind the quilt. And before I settled down and blew out the candles, I looked around and admired the little house. I thought back on the day, letting my thoughts race through my head. This was the first night, ever, that I would fall asleep a different person. Tonight, I would fall asleep being myself for once. <strong>_**Being Winnie Foster.**

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><p>The sunlight was barely even peering through the windows when the stairs creaked. I shifted uncomfortably in my bed, half-awake, half-asleep. The creaking got louder, but I was tired so I chose to ignore it and cuddled up in the blankets facing the wall of the small house. "Hey, Winnie Foster, you asleep?" a voice brought me out of my half-asleep state. Ugh.<p>

I shifted slowly, moving only a bit at a time. Finally, I saw his face—Jesse Tuck. "Not anymore," I moaned as I repositioned myself comfortably.

"Good," he said, coming closer. But, I decided to just ignore him. I rolled over onto my side and closed my eyes. "Hey, listen. How would you like to see _the_ Eiffel Tower?" he asked with enthusiasm. I opened my eyes and just looked at him.

"_What?_" I shifted a bit, "Someday," and I was about to flop back down and drift back to sleep but his voice interrupted.

"No, now," he sounded abrupt, "While the day is still ours." He smiled and I couldn't help the joy that flooded inside of me. Honestly, I had no clue what he was talking about since the Eiffel Tower was in France, but oh well. He seemed happy, so I said "Okay."

I panted as he dragged me along in the woods, stepping over clumps of grass and mud and wedges of rock. In this part of the woods, unlike where I met him yesterday—wow, that was only yesterday?—the trees were much closer together and there was no open space for a little spring. I continued on, following him, and we came to a clearing, finally. But, it was steep with sharp rocks covered by dark, damp leaves. In a way, it was beautiful. We both came to a stop at the foot of it, as he pulled me to a stop. _Pant, pant. _I wiped my sweaty hand on my dress, which was now covered in dirt and torn a bit. "There it is," Jesse suddenly pointed up and my gaze followed his finger.

Beyond his pointed finger, there stood a large tower of rocks. "This is the Eiffel Tower?" I said, accusingly. What was I expecting to see?

"The one in Paris," he started, "It's pretty tall. Mine's too feet higher," he sounded proud of himself. And there was that feeling again. That weird, numbing feeling. It grips at my heart and my body just fills with emotion. I didn't really know what to say, so I gave a little half-laugh, which was mostly a pant, and smiled.

We soon set up the "Eiffel Tower" or the pile of rocks. I took one rock at I time and Jesse would offer his hand saying "Here, come on." I'd take his hand and he'd help me to the next rock. "Have you really seen the real one in Paris?" I asked.

"Yes I have," he said proudly, "I climbed 1652 stairs to the top. _Much_ easier than this."

"_Yes_," I said quickly, it must have been.

"You doin' alright?" he asked.

"I think so," it was an honest answer. I'd never climbed a thing of rocks, but for my first time, I thought I was doing fine.

And he said, "You're doing great," so I believed that I really was doing I good job.

I finally got ahead of him, but he may have just let me. He trailed close behind me, "If I went to the Eiffel tower," I started, "I would take one of those elevators." My father had talked about them once. I'd never been in an elevator, but it sounded fun, right?

"Not with me," he laughed. Now, I felt a bit stupid. Maybe I'd said the wrong thing. "You'd take off your shoes and walk every single solitary step," he said, climbing up next to me again. I felt a little better; maybe he just wanted me to walk up the Eiffel Tower. That could be fun too, right? He seemed to have enjoyed it.

"How old are you?" The question kind of just spilled out. It was one of the many questions rolling around in my head.

He looked back at me for and moment and then continued to climb, "You really wanna' know?"

"Yes."

"104."

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

Okay, he's trying to tell me he's a 104 years old? No way. He barely looks a day over, if at the most, eighteen. I knew he was lying, "Why won't you tell me?" I asked, "Is there a reason you're joking around?"

He looked like he was also throwing ideas around in his head. Finally, he said, "Let's call it seventeen for now."

Was that so hard? So he was seventeen. We continued climbing and panting for another few moments, until Jesse's hand gripped the top. He pulled himself up and then came back for me and pulled me up. It was gorgeous up here. We stood up, close to the edge, and looked out. "There's my Paris," he mused, looking pleased. The trees were short under us up here and they seemed to stretch forever with the blue skies. The trees seemed to roll like hills, too. "The view from the Eiffel Tower can't be better than this," I say, because this is breathtaking.

"I've seen a lot of views, but _this_. _This_ is one of the best," and I could hear the smile in his voice. Then maybe I understood what Jesse Tuck had said—about walking up the Eiffel Tower. Maybe it wasn't simply because he enjoyed it. Maybe it was because he liked the pleasing feeling of reaching the top. When I had reached the top of this Eiffel Tower, the beauty consumed me. I had just climbed up a whole bunch of rocks, and I was panting and sweating. Instead of feeling crabby, I felt so happy I could soar. Because I'd climbed this tower and now I could look out at this amazing view—with Jesse Tuck.

The days passed quickly. I soon forgot about Tuck saying anything about a conversation. I watched Tuck carve wood and ran through meadows with Jesse. I soon lost track of time. What day was it? What time was it? Did it matter? I felt so care free. How Mae would wash clothes in the waterfall. How Jesse held my hand and ran. How long has it been? A day? A week? A month? Did it matter? How Mae would prop her feet up and husk corn by the lake. How Jesse would take me, and we'd see the deer. How Mae would take Jesse and sit on a fallen tree trunk and look at photos. How Mae and Tuck would go through the long, delicate process of making a pie. For the first time in my life I felt free—to play, to run, to dance, to sing, to do things my way. Day after day, I'd run through the meadow with Jesse and hold his hand while dancing and running through the creek. I'd become some comfortable with him.

One day, we stopped at the waterfall and Jesse sat down a rock overlooking the water. I sat down beside him. "Me—I goin' ta' see the world—every speck of it. Heck, I may even find some new continents or somethin'." He started to pull down his pants, and I felt the blush rise to my cheeks. "I mean, I've been to a lot o' places," he pauses to step out of his pants, "but the world is huge!" Now he lifted his shirt over his head.

The blush was threatening to come again and I got out a few words, "Jesse Tuck, w-what are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" he questioned, crumbling up his shirt, standing there in his undergarments. He crouched down by the edge and jumped in. At first I was alarmed. I'd never been swimming, so I might die. But, Jesse, what if he drowns. But soon I see his head pop up. He's yelling a few "wows" and "ah's". Finally, he turns to me and waves, "Come on!"

"I can't!" I yell back.

"Why?" he's looking at me odd, then smirks. "You're not afraid of a little cold water, are you?"

"No," I say in an annoyed tone.

"You afraid o' me?" he's still smirking.

"No," I say, even more annoyed.

"Well, what then?"

I look back at forth from the water to him, the water to him. "I can't swim."

"You're joshin' me!" he yells up. Great, he probably thinks I'm a fool.

"I wish I were," I really did. I'd love to just jump in like he did. I wanted to be down there in the water, with him.

"So," he looks at me, "You're afraid you'll drown, right? Swallow too much water, sink to the bottom, and _die_!" he yells the last word a bit louder.

"Thank you for putting it so vividly! And yes, considering I'd sink like a rock, drowning is a fair concern!" I yell back down.

"Trust me," he yelled back up, "You won't die." There the family goes with the sullen looks again.

"Oh yeah?" I say.

"Yeah."

"And how can you be so sure?" I guess I know I won't really die, but I feel like pushing his buttons.

"Trust me, you can't anyway."

"What are you talking about?" I asked him.

He quickly changed the subject by saying "Nothing," and adding, "I guess I'm just gonna' have to enjoy this all by myself."

I hated to say it, but when he said I couldn't die it sounded so convincing. So, I stripped down into my under dress and just jumped. I remember screaming a bit and when I hit the chilling water, I was scared. "Jesse!" I called out.

He was saying calming things and when I felt his arms around me, I felt better. I felt safe again. "I got ya'," he kept saying. And he did. He held me there in the water, the nice cool water. It was very enjoyable. "Relax… Relax against me. You all right?" I was better than all right. Being in his arms made me so happy.

"I-I think so!" I nodded my head as he held me, spinning in circles.

"You did it!" he said.

"I did it!" I repeated.

"Ah, it feels wonderful!" I say, because it does feel nice—Jesse and the water, that is. "And weightless…" I breathed, running my hands through the water.

"That's cuz we're carryin' you; the water and me, we're both carryin' you. You like the feeling?" It was as if he read my mind.

"Yes, I love it," I was so happy. It must have been showing all over my face. We spun a few more times and I felt his arm ease away. I became alarmed immediately and yelped, "Jesse, don't let go!" My arm had flung to his shoulder, gripping it tightly.

"It's okay, it's okay," he must think this is stupid—having to calm me as if I were a baby. "There's no chance o' that, Winnie Foster. I'm never gonna' let you go." I curled forward, leaning my head against his. What a wonderful feeling. I leaned back again and we twirled in the water and he continued to hold me. I closed my eyes and around and around we went.

In the far distance, a bird sang out. Once. Twice. Three times and another bird joined in. Jesse passed by behind me, throwing more sticks into the growing fire. I stood there, swaying, looking. Maybe I was looking for the birds. Maybe if I listened to them hard enough, I'd see them. They continued and Jesse leaned on a boulder nearby, "Ya' hear that?" he leaned forward some more, "Tuck says it's the most melancholy sound in all nature. Listen, just listen." And I listened and the birds started to sing again. I smiled and looked at Jesse. Then, I looked back out into the distance to see if I could possibly find these mysterious birds. "They're playin' for you."

I swayed a little bit more and listening closer to the birds. Beside me, Jesse started tapping the boulder with a nearby stick he must have found. Then, he started patting his leg along with the rhythm. I got into the rhythm, smiling as he smiled at me. The birds continued to sing and I threw my arms up and started to dance. I hopped over to the damp ground, covered in leaves, and danced around, twirling in circles on my bare feet. I continued dancing, flapping my arms out and Jesse would call out "Yeah!" and some other words. I threw my head back and continued to twirl, watching the sky and trees blend together into one, everything spinning. I heard him clap and the next thing I knew he was there spinning with me, his arms around my waist and my arms around his neck. The music was still so loud in my ears, and I began to laugh as Jesse danced with me. Finally, the music died down and Jesse and I sat laid down by the fire, exhausted. "I wish this moment could last forever," I wished. It was so nice.

"Forever?" it must have hit a nerve, because now he sounded a bit nervous. "You never know, Winnie." That was all he said, and I snuggled up closer to him. "But, you'd really want to spend forever with me, Winnie?"

"I do," I practically sang out.

He just continued with the "You never know" again. He was at this little ongoing war with himself. He kept getting a twisted look in his face and I didn't know what to do. He looked worried and passion twisted in my stomach. "Jesse Tuck," he looked at me now, but the worry was still in his eyes even though his lips hid it with a smile, "You're the first human that I've ever met that I've ever wanted to…" and I kissed him. Just like that.

He looked shocked at first and then happy—all the worry gone. And then he kissed me. The kiss was so sweet, I wanted to savor it. It came to an end too soon, and I yearned for more. Then the worry returned. What the heck? But he spoke before I could say anything. "Winnie, do you remember the little clearing in the woods where I met you? Where you drank from the spring?" he asked. His face no longer looked as if he were battling against what to do. Instead it was just worry.

"Yes?"

"Do you remember when I told you I was 104 years old?" I nodded. Why was he so persistent on this topic? "Well, it's the honest truth." I'm not sure what my face looked like, but my brain was all confused. Why the heck is he saying this? He must be joking? But he is saying it so seriously. He's not joking, he's not lying. But how is this possible? "I'm gonna' live forever. I'm never gonna' change," he said in a hushed tone. I just kept taking it all in. "The same with Miles and Tuck and Mae…" and he took a deep breath before he spoke again, "and you."

"What?" I must have sounded mean, harsh. But I'm so confused and now he's including me in this. What am I supposed to do!

"It's the spring, Winnie! It stops you right where you are."

"I don't…" I remembered his face when he saw me: horror. I remember Miles how rash he was; how he yelled at Jesse. I remember how sad Mae looked when she was talking to me; how sullen Tuck was when he said we had to talk. And then I believed him. I didn't really understand at all how this was going to affect me. I couldn't tell anything was different. Then, a twig cracked and my vision snapped to behind Jesse's head. There stood Miles.

"I bet you have no idea as to what to think. I bet you think that nothing has changed. I bet you're thinking you're just you, Winnie. But you're wrong. That water changed you… We all had a drink of the water—except for the cat. That's important."

I sat there, by Jesse, listening to the whole story. How Miles got married; how he had two children, Anna and Bo; how they kept growing but he didn't; how his wife thought he sold his soul for the devil; how they all left him. He explained about all the weird things: how Jesse fell from a tree and nothing happened; how the horse got shot and didn't even have a scar; how the cat died and they didn't. Once he finished I felt the tears in my eyes. I didn't know what to say. It was over and the fire was put out. And we went home.

Jesse and I walked home, hand and hand, Miles following behind with the horse. Few words were spoken amongst us, if any at all. When we got back, Mae and Tuck were waiting outside for all of us. Mae was smiling playing with her music box. Tuck just stood there, kind of sad looking, but on the other hand happy as well. I guess it was kind of a weightlifter now that they've told me that… uh; I wouldn't ever die, that I'd live forever. I guess I'd notice the changes eventually. But, I think I'm kind of in shock. However, when we stop in front of them, Jesse and me hand in hand, they all hug me. "Welcome to the family, Winnie," Tuck says.

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><p><strong>How was it? Like I said, this is the last chapter that's going to be like the movie. The next chapter will be all new surprises! Please Review! I love how people add me and the story to their favorites, but please, review. It makes me really happy, and I always welcome suggestions and advice. If you have any ideas you'd like to see in here or something, like I said, just leave a review, and I'll try to put it in if I like it. Plus, I'm tried to upload this today before Hurricane Irene knocked out my power or something. After the earthquake this week, who knows what else is going to happen? (By the way, that was kind of cool!) I mean, I don't know how many of you felt the earthquake, but I was like: "Oh my gosh! Earthquake! Hey, wait, this is cool!" But that's because I've never ever been in an earthquake before- but that's the east coast for you. However, I do know Hurricanes, so with Irene it's kind of like "ehh". Hahaa, I just imagine the people in California laughing their butts off at us East Coasters at how we're freaking out over this. Oh well, like I said, we've never gotten them before. Oh, well, I'm rambling again! Review! :)<strong>


	4. See You, Jesse Tuck

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Tuck Everlasting or any quotes from the book or movie used in my story.**_

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><p><em><strong>Sorry I didn't upload this yesterday on Sunday, but oh well, only a day late... Sorry... I was dead sick and couldn't really get out of bed much. Instead I just kinda loafed around with a cough and boxes of tissues watching Harry Potter movies all day... Anyway, please review! <strong>_

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><p><em><strong>Previously: "Do you remember when I told you I was 104 years old?" I nodded. Why was he so persistent on this topic? "Well, it's the honest truth." I'm not sure what my face looked like, but my brain was all confused. Why the heck is he saying this? He must be joking? But he is saying it so seriously. He's not joking, he's not lying. But how is this possible? "I'm gonna' live forever. I'm never gonna' change," he said in a hushed tone. I just kept taking it all in. "The same with Miles and Tuck and Mae…" and he took a deep breath before he spoke again, "and you."<strong>_

_**...**_

_**Jesse and I walked home, hand and hand, Miles following behind with the horse. Few words were spoken amongst us, if any at all. When we got back, Mae and Tuck were waiting outside for all of us. Mae was smiling playing with her music box. Tuck just stood there, kind of sad looking, but on the other hand happy as well. I guess it was kind of a weightlifter now that they've told me that… uh; I wouldn't ever die, that I'd live forever. I guess I'd notice the changes eventually. But, I think I'm kind of in shock. However, when we stop in front of them, Jesse and me hand in hand, they all hug me. "Welcome to the family, Winnie," Tuck says.**_

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><p>The days pass slowly, as if the reality has settled in, but things quickly go back to the way they did. I pretty much forget about the whole "living forever" thing, but I know I won't be able to forget about it for long. Jesse and I go out again now and dance in the creek, swim by the waterfall, and still run together, hand in hand, through the meadow where we saw the deer. I've become comfortable here; Miles has even opened up to me. Mae treats me like the daughter she never had, and Tuck does the same. At supper, I eat like the Tuck's do. At bedtime, I sleep in my bed, which Mae has helped me make to my liking. She helped me make a quilt that she says "describes" me. We placed it on my bed. The other quilt still hangs there as a wall for privacy at night. In the morning, I wake up and I eat breakfast with everyone. And each day is filled with exciting adventures with Jesse, perhaps my favorite Tuck. However, it's hard to pick because I love them all so much. But, I love Jesse in a different way. And I know he does too. Often now, Jesse and I will eat picnics atop <em>our<em> Eiffel Tower. Everything was so wonderful. I thought nothing could ruin this peaceful life I had now. That was until _he_ showed up.

Jesse and I were out that day catching fish; it was the first time we'd done it together. He taught me how to put bait on the hook and how to cast out. Then, we I got my first bite, he helped me pull it in. He even showed me the net that Tuck uses sometimes to catch fish. When we pulled the fish out of the water, Jesse showed me how to take it off of the hook. I was a little grossed out and he laughed at my expression, so I laughed along with him. It was funny, anyway. But then, Tuck called us over from the dock. Jesse unhooked the fish and threw it back in the water. It flipped its tail, splashing me with water. I laughed and Jesse smiled at me while the fish swam away. He grabbed the oars and started rowing back in. I grabbed one and rowed also. When we got back, Jesse took my hand and we intertwined fingers and walked over to Tuck. By him were Mae and Miles and a man… I knew that man… "Winifred," he smiled a smile that made me feel disgusted.

Jesse pushed me behind him. The man in the yellow suit moved closer,  
>"Oh come, Winifred. Your family is worried about you."<p>

The next couple of things that happened… just happened so fast. First, the man grabbed me and held a gun to me. Second, he shot me in the stomach. I felt Jesse tense up at this, but the man in yellow suit just laughed. "I knew it!" he shouted, "I knew it! She drank the water!" he just continued laughing and I was hit by pure shock. I was just _shot_ and it didn't even hurt! I could already feel the wound healing. And after a minute, it didn't feel like anything at all had been there. The only mark left on me was the bullet hole through my dress.

"How do you know about the water?" Tuck was demanding.

The man in yellow suit explained, but I didn't quite understand the story, but I know the rest of them did. Miles facial expression was enough for me to burst into tears. I only understood bits and pieces that I put together from Miles's story last night. "So what do you want from us?" Miles shouted at him.

"I want you to take me to the spring. I'm going to sell that water, make myself a very rich man," he was grinning madly, and he still held on to me.

"You'll die of old age before I take you," Tuck seethed through his teeth. This is as angry I'd ever seen Tuck, although he does have a good reason for being so mad.

And again the events passed by so quickly. I swear, the way the Tucks live is a slow, relaxing pace and it's peaceful. But now that the man in the yellow suit has gotten here, things are recklessly fast-paced. It scares me. So it all happened: People shot out from different places and the man let go of me. I ran back to Jesse, but then I heard my father yelling my name. I was stuck on what to do. My father, whom seemed so distant from me almost like a different person, was here coming for me—to take me home. But where was home? I'd felt more at home here than I had anywhere else. I looked up at Jesse, and he gave me a look. I knew immediately what that look meant, and I ran off to my father, letting my hand slip from Jesse's. He hugged me and comforted me, but life was still moving too fast at the moment and everything was spinning. The last thing that happened was Jesse and Miles rode off, and Tuck and Mae were taken by some guy. The house was smoking and that man—the man in the yellow suit—I saw him running off into the forest.

"They didn't kidnap me," I was defending the Tucks. At first I really thought they did, but in the end, they hadn't kidnapped me. They had been my friends when no one else was there for me. And Jesse… "They were kind to me."

"She doesn't know what she's saying!" my mother shrieked, fanning herself madly.

This was my family she was talking about, who I was talking about. "I do know what I am saying, Mother. The Tucks are my family," I fought. When I said that they were my family, she really looked frustrated.

"Do not tell me who you _consider_ is your family, Winifred. They are not your family, Winifred!"

My mother will never understand me, but I still love her, and I feel bad. "Mother, you are my family also. I hope you can understand what I'm saying here. I went with them because I wanted to."

She'd never really heard me talk like this, but she seemed to back off a bit. She was still flustered, but she dropped it, and went out of the room, still fanning herself like crazy, seething "Oh my god".

Finally, my argument won over and the constable left. I was left standing with my father. May I mention how awkward this was? Now that I'm home, I notice how the Tucks lived so differently than everyone else. How nicely they lived—slowly. Even my own family moves so fast as if their time is running out so quickly—and maybe their lives are, but mine isn't. My father had been in the silence too long to his liking and spoke up, "I'm glad you're safe and sound at home, Winifred."

I almost wanted to disagree—say that I was taken away from my home, the place I was safe, but I didn't. These were my parents. How could I ever say anything like that? But it was how I felt? Was it wrong to feel this way? So I just said, "Yeah."

He left me just standing there alone. I sat down on the couch, I walked around the room, and I hummed a bit in my head. Already I was trapped once more in this stupid cage, like some small, defenseless bird. When I was with Jesse, I ran with him and I could go anywhere. Now, I'm stuck again. I loved Jesse, and I wanted to be with him. Just that thought made my fast heat up. But I remembered the look—the message—he gave me before I left him, before he rode off with Miles. It meant he was coming to get me, and I smiled because I wanted Jesse to come get me. Just like he told me, we could travel the world together; we could see the world together. We could go everywhere together. And in that moment I wanted Jesse with me so badly. If I could only wish and he would suddenly appear! But he didn't. Time went quickly though. We all ate supper. I was expecting flapjacks for supper again, but I realized I wasn't with the Tucks anymore. Instead we had some kind of fancy meat and vegetables and bread. It didn't fill me up like the flapjacks did. When I first started eating, though, I picked up the vegetables with my hands. My mother was horrified and reprimanded me in an instant.

I was just thankful when I could finally go to sleep, but the room was so empty and I missed my quilt. And even though I had a wall around me, I felt like I had no privacy and I missed the old quilt that used to be my wall. Suddenly, something stirred behind me. At first I was alarmed, but then I calmed down a bit. I looked behind me and saw nothing. I thought I heard something faint… Then I heard it again "Winnie" it said softly. I peered over and saw a hand and then saw Jesse. "Jesse!" I flew out of the bed to the window he was climbing into.

"Winnie," he whispered seeing my face, "How have you been?"

"Oh, I've been _wonderful_," I snorted, "I accidently ate my vegetables with my hands and got yelled at. He laughed at that.

"How is Mae and Tuck? And Miles?" I asked.

"Miles is outside with the wagon. Mae and Tuck were released by the constable. He went on about how they were lucky or something," he smiled at me, "So they're at the wagon too. But we have no home here anymore Winnie. Tuck burned the house. We have to leave Treegap."

Leave Treegap? They couldn't! I wanted to see Jesse! "Why? I want to see you though!" I whined a bit. I could be easily considered rude, but I didn't care.

"I want to see you too, Winnie," he caressed my face, "I love you."

I was speechless, but I loved him too, so I forced the words up out of my throat. "I love you, too," I whispered, and I knew the tears were threatening to overflow, "I don't want you to have to go, Jesse."

"Then come with us, Winnie!" The look in his eyes. He needed me and I needed him. Plus, he didn't need to say it. I would live forever, just like him. My parents would die. My grandmother would die. My whole family would die, and I wouldn't. Except for my new family—my new family wouldn't die, just like me. I was stuck again.

"But, Jesse, how will I leave my parents?" I said, looking at the door as if they were behind it. He saw the strain in my eyes. And he kissed me. It felt so good—just like the first time we kissed. He knew I couldn't leave my parents.

"I want to go with you Jesse, but I cannot leave my parents," I said, tears running down my face now.

"I'll come back for you," he said. He was so close, "When you're ready, I'll come back for you."

"When will that be?" I asked, "Where will you go?" I know I had to stay with my parents, but I didn't want him leaving without me, exploring the world without me.

"When you 'turn' eighteen I'll come get you. Isn't that old enough for you to move out anyway?" he laughed and tucked some of my hair behind my ear. "In the meantime, I do have to find us a place to live."

"Does 'us' include me?" I ask excitedly, wiping the tears from my face.

"Of course, Winnie Foster," he smiled at the usage of my full name, "The family wouldn't be complete without you."

I laughed a bit and we hugged. Finally, we pulled away and we kissed once more. "Goodbye, Winnie," he smiled at me.

"See you on my eighteenth birthday, Jesse Tuck," I smiled as the name rolled over my lips.

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><p><em><strong>Yes, in this version of Tuck Everlasting, the man in the yellow suit lives! He may come in handy later in the story… You never know. I'm not going to focus too long on Winnie's life without Jesse, but the next chapter or two will be just her and her parents and a whole lot of men. Anyway, hope it was enjoyable, Please Review, it will make me feel better ;)! <strong>_


	5. Life Without the Tucks

**_Okay, if you didn't know already, I am a proud United States citizen. I was born and raised here. Ten years ago, today, on September 11, 2001, I was only four years old. I can barely remember the things that happened, but I still hold the events dear to my heart. This chapter is in honor of everyone- the victims of 9/11 who I wish to rest in peace, the people who risked their lives to save others, and the families of those who died that day. I'd also like to personally thank and honor my Uncle, who was a first responder Volunteer Fire Fighter at the Pentagon ten years ago._**

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><p><em><strong>Okay, since I don't know when Winnie's birthday is I'm going to make up a random day, which is June 25. Yeah, random… Anyway, the year it starts is 1915. Don't believe it is? She was born in 1899, so sixteen years later would be 1915. Enjoy the next chapter! <strong>_

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><p><em><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own Tuck Everlasting or any quotes from the book or movie used in my story.<strong>_

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><p><em><strong>Previously: <strong>_

"_**When you 'turn' eighteen I'll come get you. Isn't that old enough for you to move out anyway?" he laughed and tucked some of my hair behind my ear. "In the meantime, I do have to find us a place to live."**_

"_**Does 'us' include me?" I ask excitedly, wiping the tears from my face.**_

"_**Of course, Winnie Foster," he smiled at the usage of my full name, "The family wouldn't be complete without you."**_

_**I laughed a bit and we hugged. Finally, we pulled away and we kissed once more. "Goodbye, Winnie," he smiled at me.**_

"_**See you on my eighteenth birthday, Jesse Tuck," I smiled as the name rolled over my lips. **_

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><p>-Winnie's 16th Birthday-<p>

-June 25, 1915-

"Winifred!" my mother was even scolding me on my birthday, "Please act your age. Mr. Jackson will be arriving momentarily." I was simply chasing a toad I had seen. Where is the crime in that?

"Mother, why can't he wait until another day? Today _is_ my birthday!" I retorted, smoothing out my dress.

"Precisely why he is coming today, Winifred," she said sternly, "You're old enough now that you need to accept responsibility and find yourself a suitor. Mr. Jackson is a fine man and I think he would make an excellent husband for you. Think of this as a present."

"More of a spoil to my _splendid_ day," I mumbled, walking through the front door. **Good grief.**

"Winifred," she sighed. I swear my name is so worn out. All day long it's: "Winifred" and "WINIFRED!" and "Winifred…"

"Yes mother?" I rang.

"Please behave. I'm only doing what's best for you," she was trying to cover her anger, but it wasn't really working, "Just go change into something nicer please!"

"Mother, you can't possibly know what's best for me. Only I can determine that," and before she could yell at me anymore, I closed the front door and ran up to my room.

Mother's been playing "matchmaker" ever since I came home. But I don't want some frilly man to come here and just marry me because I was "pretty". My mother just doesn't understand. I love Jesse, not these men. Plus, I couldn't marry these men. I would never grow old with them and then they'd be convinced I sold my soul to the devil just as Miles's wife had thought about him.

My whole family had begun to notice. I didn't think it would show already, but it has. My mother thought I would have grown taller and "curvier" by the age of sixteen, not as small and "uncurvy" as when I was fifteen. Instead, I look exactly the same. My face features haven't changed one bit. My mother noticed that, too. But she only says, "Maybe because you don't act like a young woman is why you don't grow to become one". I just ignore the comment and continue with what I was doing.

Up in my room, I change (no point in making Mother any angrier than she already is). I change into a new dress she got me—a white lace dress with no sleeves. Overtop, a fancy, light blue sweater trimmed with lace. Around the waist, I tied a dark blue sash. I admired the dress in the mirror for a couple of minutes. I thought. I thought about how I would always wear the same dress size—how convenient! My mother walked in at that moment and immediately starting telling me my faults, "Winifred, do you have a corset on?"

Of course I don't! "Why must I where one? _Especially_ on my birthday! You can't spare me pain for one day!" the last part made her flinch a bit and I immediately felt bad. "Sorry, I'll put one on." And instead of saying something like "It's okay, it is your birthday like you said", she just left.

So I put on the stupid corset and got her to help me, because I can't quite do it myself. Then, I was downstairs on the sofa waiting for this "Mr. Jackson" to show up. And when he did, I wish he hadn't. He walked through the door and immediately made me feel uncomfortable. My mother and father greeted him as if he was actually my husband. "Hello, Mr. Jackson. It's _so _kind of you to stop by." "Oh, Mr. Jackson, we're pleased to welcome you into our home!"

Eventually my parents finished with all of their introductions which meant I had to introduce myself now. So I got up and smoothed out my dress. "Hello, Mr. Jackson. My name is Winnie, Winnie Foster," I curtsied.

"Well, hello Winnie," he smiled at me.

I could see my mother was angry at how I introduced myself as Winnie, but by this point, she's happy I didn't say something rude or step on his feet. "Well, shall we start supper, Mr. Jackson?"

Mr. Jackson may have very well been the most boring man alive. All dinner long, he talked about his work. My mother and father listened intently, as if they cared, but I just played around with the peas on my plate, which I got glares from my mother as her way of saying "Winifred, you better stop!" I was just happy when he left.

-February 23, 1916-

I still haven't changed at all and mother worries all the time. Not for my health or anything, only if this will affect my chances of not marrying properly. She is still plenty intent on my marriage with Mr. Jackson. But I won't do it, I won't marry him. I will only marry Jesse (what can I say? I'm stubborn). But today, my mother isn't worried about it at all. My grandmother has been very sick lately and the doctor came over. Mother is currently lying in bed with her. I don't think I can go in there, though. The doctor said she won't make it. So instead I stand outside, peering in at mother and grandmother. I love my grandmother dearly—I don't want her to leave us. And I love my mother so. I don't wish for her to be sad, even though she makes me so mad sometimes.

-March 4, 1916-

"Winifred, come on," my mother said.

It was so gloomy. We're only wearing black, which makes it sadder. Grandmother died and we were all going to her funeral. I don't like death. It's so sad, but I'm afraid that one day I will long for it. And that scares me.

-May 26, 1916-

"Good morning, Winifred," Mr. Jackson kissed my hand and inside I cringed. He'd been calling me Winifred ever since my mother told him that was my real name, "How would you like to accompany me today?"

"Uh…" my mother was going to yell at me for even stuttering, "I'd be honored…"

So he took me by the hand and led me out to the carriage. He got in after he helped me in and we drove off. He was sitting so close to me… Oh goodness! Why in the world is he sitting so close to me! Oh that's right, he thinks he's going to marry me. "You look so young, Winifred," he placed a hand on my cheek and I looked away while he chuckled, "hardly like a woman who is about to turn seventeen."

I just stared out into the distance. Mr. Jackson sensed I wasn't going to talk, so he did instead. "We're going to be married, Winifred. I don't see why you won't accept me. I'm the best you could ever have."

It offended me. The best I could ever have was Jesse. Why? Because I actually loved him. Because he actually loved me. Because we actually weren't forced onto together. Because we were meant for each other. Isn't that why you should marry—for love?

-Winnie's 17th Birthday-

-June 25, 1916-

"Will you please do the honor of marrying me, Winifred?" Mr. Jackson was proposing to me right here—right in front of everyone, on my birthday, which I have now declared as the worst birthday ever.

"Um…" I looked around at everyone around the room—my mother, father, and other family members and some other women and men my parents had invited for my birthday/engagement party I assume. "Well…" What do I say? I have no interest in marrying him? And I know my mother will kill me, but she already will for not answering right away, so what can I lose? "I'm sorry, Mr. Jackson. I do not wish to marry you, nor do I love you."

I could hear the shock of the others around me. Mr. Jackson looked shocked that I would actually decline his offer, and then his face turned to anger. "Fine, Winifred. You have lost your chance. Good luck in ever finding another man who will marry you."

Tears sprung to my eyes (because quite honestly, that hurt), and I walked away as my mother was begging Mr. Jackson not to go.

-Christmas Day-

-December 25, 1916-

I sat by the fireplace as the snow gently fell from the sky beyond the windows of my house. Mother and Father were talking to me, but I was hardly listening. "Winifred, I'm concerned. You haven't grown at all. You still look like a girl, when you should be almost an eighteen year old woman!" My father had noticed it too. Although, he was concerned I had a disease. My mother still wanted me to find a husband.

"Mother, Father, I am fine. Maybe I am small for my age, but does that matter?" I just stared at the fire. The best Christmas present ever would to have Jesse come back for me now. I would only have to wait a couple months, but I still yearned for him to be here now.

"Are you sure you've been eating properly?" my mother asked.

"Yes Mother, I'm positive," my attention went back to one of the many windows in this house. I watched the snow fall and fall. It seemed to never stop. How nice it would be if Mae and Tuck and Miles and Jesse could all be here now, also. My parents would never let them in, though, it would be nice. Then, everyone I loved would be here with me. And I could marry Jesse and my mother would stop trying to find potential husbands for me.

-Valentine's Day-

-February 14, 1917-

It's just another day I long to be with Jesse. You're supposed to be with the one you love on Valentine's Day! Not having your mother worry about how you'll never get married. I want to say to her: "Don't worry Mother; I have _plenty_ of time to get married. I don't think we need to rush."

-Winnie's 18th Birthday-

-June 25, 1817-

I have waited for the day for what seems centuries. Today is the day I will see Jesse Tuck again. I've been planning on how to leave (I'm of legal age, so I can leave!). So when I woke up, I grabbed my suitcase from the closet. I stuffed all my clothes—every single piece of clothing—into the suitcase neatly. On top I placed a few personal items—a pendant my mother had given me, my passport, a change purse that my father gave me for my birthday last year, and a few other things. I snapped the suitcase closed and grabbed it by the handle. Before I opened the door, I inhaled deeply. _I'm ready_. I walked downstairs, where my parents were arguing about marriage again, as they always do. When they saw me, though, they were silent. "Where do you think you're going?" my mother asked, sternly yet I heard a waver in her voice.

I sat my suitcase down and went to her. I hugged and kissed her and did the same to father. Then, I turned to face them, "Mother, Father. I'm eighteen now. I know you wanted me to be married—to live a good live. I will have a good life, I promise. And one day, I'll get married. But it will be with whom I choose and with love. Today, I'm leaving. I'm going to travel the world," I will travel the world, just with Jesse, "Goodbye. I love you both. Thank you so much for taking care of me all these years."

My mother was shocked and suddenly weeping now, but my father disappeared, reappeared, and stepped forward. "Here, Winifred," he said, holding his hand out. In his hand was money. "I want you to have this. It will help you start out." Before I could forget, I put the money—a hundred dollars!—into my change purse.

"Honey!" my mother was shocked—maybe because she thought he was helping me leave, "Winifred, don't go! Stay here, you'll get married. And you'll have children and have a good life."

I hugged her again, "Mother, I will have a good life. I will get married and maybe there will even be children. I promise I will write to you. Please, let me go. I'm a woman now, and I have to make decisions for myself now." I honestly felt more motherly.

Then, she surprised me. She hugged me very tightly and said, "_Winnie,_ I love you so much. Please take care of yourself." And she let me go and kissed me, "And don't you dare forget to send letters!" She mopped up her tears with her dress, which was so unlady like in her opinion, that now I was shocked.

"Goodbye, Mother; Father." And I grabbed my suitcase and walked out the door. I knew exactly where to go.

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><p><em><strong>How'd you like it? Also, I'll be on vacation, so next week's chapter will be delayed for the following week... Sorry! <strong>_

_**The next chapter will bring more surprises for everyone. Please Review! **_


	6. Eighteenth Birthday

"_**How fast can a horse and buggy/wagon thing go?"**_

"_**How long would it take to go from Paris to Le Havre at 7 miles an hour?"(Too bad they couldn't just take the Eurostar or something… Ha-ha, not yet anyway)**_

"_**How long does it take to get from Baltimore to Le Havre in 1917?"**_

"_**Maps of Europe?"**_

"_**Maps of France?"**_

"_**What's a port city in France?"**_

"_**Old hotels in Le Havre?"(Then, I remembered they were in Baltimore at the time, ha-ha!)**_

_**(so…) "Old hotels in Baltimore?"**_

"_**How many beds did hotel rooms in the early 1900's have?" (Call me weird…)**_

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><p><em><strong>Okay next chapter up! This chapter's going to have a weird 3<strong>__**rd**__** person thingy at the beginning and throughout it a bit. Also, to get to Paris, they would obviously have to go by ship. So I made them go to Baltimore! Ha-ha… It was the first place to pop in my head. Anyway, to go to Baltimore, I'm going to make Treegap in West Virginia because that's just where I imagine it, so imagine it there. I'm going to have them be dropped off in Le Havre. I tried to study up on France(as you can see the stupid questions above!) a bit before I wrote this because I pretty much know nothing about France, mostly because I only study Japanese and I've never been outside of the U.S. So, I hope the information is correct. If it isn't, please don't get mad at me, I tried my best. But, I was going to let them dock in Marsielle, but Le Havre is closer to Paris (110 miles). However, honestly, I have NO clue how many days it would take for people in 1917 to get from Baltimore to Le Havre. Literally, I've searched it all over Google, but I can't find an answer. So based off an answer of "How long did it take for people in the early 1800's-1900's to get to America from Germany" I'm going to say it will take them a week tops to get to La Havre. Ha-ha, but enjoy!**_

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><p><em><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own Tuck Everlasting or any quotes from the book or movie used in my story.<strong>_

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><p><em><strong>Previously: <strong>_

_**I hugged her again, "Mother, I will have a good life. I will get married and maybe there will even be children. I promise I will write to you. Please, let me go. I'm a woman now, and I have to make decisions for myself now." I honestly felt more motherly.**_

_**Then, she surprised me. She hugged me very tightly and said, "Winnie, I love you so much. Please take care of yourself." And she let me go and kissed me, "And don't you dare forget to send letters!" She mopped up her tears with her dress, which I've never seen it before.**_

"_**Goodbye, Mother; Father." And I grabbed my suitcase and walked out the door. I knew exactly where to go.**_

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><p>Out she walked, down she walked, and up she walked. Winnie walked along the curvy paths and entered the wood. She trudged through the wood with grace, kind of, until she got to the spring. All she could think about was Jesse, which is why she didn't realize that he was following her.<p>

_I have to see Jesse! I just know he'll be there waiting for me! Oh, I haven't seen him in so long!_ I stepped over twigs and mounds of leaves until I finally stepped into a clearing. And there he was, drinking from the spring. I dropped the suitcase by the fallen tree and flung myself at him, "Jesse!"

He turned around just in time for me to bury my face into his chest and snuggle up to him, "I missed you so much, Jesse!" I cried.

He was hugging me to his chest, petting my hair, "It's okay; I'm here now."

When I wiped my tears and smiled up at him, he kissed me and helped me up. I grabbed my suitcase and we sat together on the fallen tree trunk. "So how have you been, Winnie?" he asked, still hugging me.

"Okay. Honestly, without you and your family, it was so unbearable sometimes. My mother was constantly trying to get me to marry Mr. Jackson, ugh. When he proposed to me on my seventeenth birthday, I refused and he stormed out of the house," I giggled a bit and he said he was glad I refused. "How could I accept when I already love you?"

His eyes lit up and he smiled, "I love you too."

I told him about everything—all the holidays, my birthdays, my grandmother's death, and even how I said goodbye to my parents. He listened and would interrupt at a random time and find what I had done or said to be silly. Then, he told me about what he had been doing. "Mae, Tuck, and Miles found a home for all of us outside of Paris," he smiled.

"Paris!" I squealed.

"Yes," he smiled, "Now we can go and climb the Eiffel Tower together."

"1652 stairs to the top," I giggled.

Then, he explained more about the house and how it was isolated from the others. It was a little stone cottage in a meadow by the mountains and it was only a three hour ride to town. The rest of the family was waiting there at the cottage and we were going to Baltimore and taking a ship out. He explained that Mae had been working hard to make the place seem like home. And how there's a pond by the house so it really does seem like home. He finished talking about his family pretty soon and he helped me up. And before I knew it we were about to head back to the wagon.

"Wait, Winnie," Jesse stopped us before we left.

"What is it?" I asked.

He looked at my face and smiled, "You really haven't changed at all."

"Did you expect me to?" I laughed.

"Winnie, marry me. We'll go see the world together, not just Paris. We'll do everything together—as husband and wife." In his hand, he had an old Victorian ring; my mother also had one which was passed down in the family. "It was my grandmother's, so it's pretty old."

And unlike with Mr. Jackson, I didn't stutter or hesitate; I just said "Of course!" and jumped into his arms. And then, we were off to Baltimore.

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><p>When Jesse and Winnie had left the spring, he snuck in. <em>Foolish girl led me right to the spring,<em> he thought. He pulled out containers and filled them with the water from the spring.

Meanwhile, at the Foster home, Mr. Jackson walked in. "Why hello, Mr. and Mrs. Foster; I've come here to make Winifred my bride. This time she cannot refuse," he grinned.

"I'm sorry Mr. Jackson, but you are too late. Winifred is gone," her mother spoke up.

"Excuse me? Where has she gone?" he demanded. _Damn this girl! She was ruining all the plans…_

"We're not positive, Mr. Jackson. She packed up here bags and left. She said she would write—promised she would marry and maybe children," her mother's voice got a little higher at the end.

"We'll see about that," Mr. Jackson stormed out of the house. _We've already wasted too much time; Winifred is gone now and it ruins all of our plans._

And Mr. Jackson walked straight into the wood, following the tracks _he_ had made. He'd have to tell him what has happened, but when he got there, the man already knew where she had gone. _"Do not worry, Mr. Jackson,"_ he hissed, _"Winifred has gone off to go to Paris with her fiancé."_

"Fiancé!"

"_We'll just have to follow them so you can meet him,"_ he laughed.

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><p>"Wow, Jesse, Baltimore is such a large city! It's so much larger than Treegap!" I gasped just seeing the city.<p>

"Wait 'till ya' see Paris!" he grabbed my hand and we walked hand in hand to the hotel. We were spending the night in Baltimore tonight and tomorrow we'd leave on a ship to Le Havre. It was, according to a man at the docks, 3683 miles to Le Havre! I wonder how long it took Jesse to get to Treegap.

So I asked him. He said it took him about a week to get from Paris to Le Havre, another week to get to Baltimore, and about another three days to get to Treegap. He was right about it being a week from Treegap to Baltimore—well, actually, it took us four days this time, but we started late. So, I had to wait a whole two weeks to see the rest of my new family. No, they'd always been my family, but now they were actually going to be my family, if that makes any sense. We stayed at a hotel called "The Altamont Hotel". Jesse checked us in and we found our room quickly. The hotel was magnificent! It was huge and unlike anything I'd ever seen before. It was decorated so nicely and had so many different floors—our room was on the second floor. Walking in there was a big bed and tons of furniture. Wow, it was super nice. I threw my suitcase to the floor and flopped on the bed; arms and legs spread wide apart and sighed. "How nice…"

The rest of the day, Jesse and I talked away. We played games and tell jokes and laugh. Later, we ate at the hotel restaurant, which was also so amazing! They had this amazing thing called marshmallow fluff that Jesse and I tried. Neither of us had ever had anything like it before—delicious (**yes, I found out marshmallow fluff was invented in 1917, along with moon pies**)! We even had this wonderful icebox cake. There was _so_ much to see outside of Treegap, and I hadn't even begun to explore the world yet! Turned out Jesse had plenty of money, just like I do, just from working though. After supper, we left the hotel and walked around Baltimore a bit. The water was beautiful and the streets were filled with cars. Back in Treegap, we had a car, but most people still traveled by horse. But here, _everyone_ had a car—the streets were full of them! This wonderful thing called electricity was more common here too. Jesse and I even ate ice cream and then went back to the hotel.

I guess I had been too preoccupied with the fact I was in Baltimore to realize we had a room with only one bed. I know he was now my fiancé, but I was _not_ ready to sleep in the same bed with Jesse. My face got all red and Jesse must have sensed what I was thinking about. "Don't worry," he laughed, "I'll take the floor."

Phew. "Thanks," I smiled, feeling the strong urge to kiss him again. But he did it for me, which I was so happy he did.

Then, we changed into our pajamas and drifted to sleep…

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><p><strong>-TIME SKIP! After they got off the ship in Le Havre and are now on their way to Paris. Sorry didn't feel like describing life on the ship… (Maybe I'll do like an extra chapter just for it and make it all fluffy or something...)-<strong>

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><p>Jesse and Winnie had boarded the ship and everything had been so exciting. The ship was huge—just like everything else in Baltimore had been. Currently, they're travelling to the meadow just beyond Paris where'd they see the rest of the Tucks. But, Mr. Jackson and he were hot on their trails. They were on the same ship as Winnie and Jesse were, but they had hidden well. Unfortunately for Mr. Jackson, he lost the two in the crowds of the port city. Meanwhile, Jesse and Winnie were arriving at the Tuck cottage…<p>

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><p><strong>Sorry if the ending was a bit rushed for you. This is my promised update! I've been a bit busy with homework and sciencesocial studies fairs and Food Day (FAIL). Anyway, I'm listening to Allstar Weekend's new album: "All The Way"! AND IT'S AWESOME. You should listen to it. My favorite song is All the Way (awesome…) and Teenage Hearts is second. Anyway, enough rambling. Please review!**


	7. Meeting The Tucks Again

**Hey Guys! I know it's been a while. ****I owe you all a big apology for the long wait! Everything with me has been absolutely wonderful and amazing lately! The break was kind of nice to catch up, and I****'****ve been studying recently. I****'****m very excited too because I may be going to Japan next summer (which it****'****s always been a HUGE dream for me to go to Japan****—****nothing in the world could make me happier than Japan). **

**Anyway, this story will be coming to a close. It will have 10 chapters, this being the seventh chapter. Saying this, Please enjoy!**

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><p><em>Previously:<em>

_Jesse and Winnie had boarded the ship and everything had been so exciting. The ship was huge—just like everything else in Baltimore had been. Currently, they're travelling to the meadow just beyond Paris where'd they see the rest of the Tucks. But, Mr. Jackson and he were hot on their trails. They were on the same ship as Winnie and Jesse were, but they had hidden well. Unfortunately for Mr. Jackson, he lost the two in the crowds of the port city. Meanwhile, Jesse and Winnie were arriving at the Tuck cottage…_

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><p>"Winnie!" Mae threw her arms around my neck and hugged me as tightly as possible, "Oh, Winnie, we've all missed you so much!"<p>

Jesse and I had hurried to get back, for I was extremely excited to see the rest of the Tucks again. I'd missed them so much over the three years they've been gone. After Mae, let go, I saw the rest of the cottage. It was pleasantly cluttered with the Tucks' belongings, but it was warm and inviting—just like their old cottage in the wood. The walls were made of stone, which seemed cold, but all the colors in the room seemed to warm it along with the roaring fire. The little home smelled delightful too. I'm not sure what she was making, but it smelt delicious! So I was super happy when she said, "Well, you two must be starving, right? How about you two sit down and eat?"

I happily accepted. "Where's Miles and Tuck?" I asked, after quickly sitting down next to Jesse at the small, wooden table.

"They went into town a while ago," Mae said, "They should be back soon—just went to get some things from the shops. We don't go often, so the trips are usually longer when we do go."

"Ah," I nodded, taking a plate of flapjacks. I should have known she'd make them. It brought back so many memories from when I'd first met the Tucks.

Jesse and I ate pretty much in silence—I'd gotten used to their ways of eating and not talking much—and then I helped Mae wash the dishes quickly. We quickly caught up on everything we'd missed in each other's lives over the years. I told her of my family, my birthdays, the holidays, what I did. She told me of how she would go into town sometimes and all the wonderful sights there are. She also talked of how Jesse had traveled on his own after the settled down here and how Miles even went off on his own for a while. Mae even started to get a bit teary eyes when she mentioned again how happy she was that everyone was going to be back together as a family.

Jesse had gone outside while Mae and I continued to talk and do various things around the house, waiting for Miles and Tuck to get home. And when they finally did, Jesse came inside and Mae actually started crying. Tuck had walked in and given Jesse and I a hug, while Miles was smiling and welcoming us home. Mae was crying and dabbing her eyes with her apron, running back and forth between everyone, trying to capture the moment forever. Tuck had taken her into his arms and she smiled up at him, "Together at last." She really did look like she couldn't get any happier.

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><p><strong>(3<strong>**rd**** Person- General P.O.V. I suppose?)**

"Sir, what are we going to do now?" Mr. Jackson had asked him. In truth, Mr. Jackson wasn't the kind of man to come up with the plans.

The man in the yellow suit had simply smiled, gleaming down at the mystical water he held in his hands. He, on the other hand, had a great plan up his sleeve. Shifting the container of water back and forth, back and forth in his greedy hands, he turned to Mr. Jackson. "It is not what _we_ shall be doing, Mr. Jackson, but what you shall be doing."

And the man carefully opened the lid and carefully handed the container to him...

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><p><strong>(Winnie's P.O.V.- Back at the Tucks' Cottage)<strong>

We were all singing as I helped Mae make supper for the family. Jesse was ecstatic, though, practically jumping off the stone walls dancing; Tuck and Miles sitting on the small couch. Finally, we had finished preparing the meal and everyone sat down to eat some fish Miles and Tuck had bought in town. I sat down by Jesse, and we began eating. However, instead of the usual quiet mealtimes, this meal was full of chatter. Especially after Mae had seen the ring on my finger. I felt my face go a bit pink in the dim lighting, but I smiled happily. "Oh Winnie!" I take back what I said earlier—about how Mae couldn't have been any happier. Now, she was a lot happier, and it made me happy too.

"Winnie," Mae was suddenly serious, taking my hands into hers, and suddenly smiled again, "Please let me help you with your wedding. I know I'm quite old so the styles may be a bit different nowadays..."

I actually laughed at loud. "Of course," I smiled at her.

She wiped more tears away. "I'm sorry for crying so much, it's just, I never thought I'd see my son so happy before. I never thought I'd see him getting married!"

Miles smiled at me, "I hope you two will be happy together, Winnie. I'm happy that my brother has you with him, as selfish as it sounds to condemn you to the same fate."

I smiled gently at him, "Thank you, Miles. Don't feel guilty—I'm happy where I am right now, here with everyone."

I did not want to think of the years where I would grow bored with life nor did I want to think of how I would endure the feelings of wanting to leave this life in exchange for death. No; now I could only think of living. I was still young—but a voice inside of my head kept warning me, _"Forever young, you will be. Never dying, never changing."_

This wasn't the time for negative thoughts! I should be thrilled, I'm with Jesse now. And with the happy thoughts in my mind, I turned back to the joyous conversation and laughed and sang the rest of the night away.

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><p><strong>-The Next Morning-<strong>

The last thing I had remembered from last night was all the dancing and the singing. It was such a grand reunion after three whole years. And it had ended perfectly, too. When I woke up, I saw Jesse right beside me, his arms around me, as we both laid on the floor underneath a quilt. I was slightly embarrassed, considering on the ship I wasn't even ready to share a bed, but I just snuggled closer. What was the problem? We were engaged—plus, being in his arms felt so nice, so warm. I didn't want to wake him, and quite frankly, I didn't want to move out of his arms quite yet, so I stayed still, closing my eyes. Unfortunately, the floor was not very comfortable. I began to squirm as my side was pained from the rough wood, and eventually, I woke him up. "Ah, sorry for waking you up," I smiled innocently up at him.

He chuckled at me, running a hand through his long, dark hair. "It's nice to wake up to you, Winnie," his cute accent always made my heart race some.

"You also, Jesse Tuck, are quite an enjoyable sight to wake up to," I giggled.

He sat up, bringing me up with him, smiling as I combed my hair with my fingers. He was still wearing his trousers, old shirt, and his faded socks from last night. I glanced down at myself, realizing I was still wearing the same dress from yesterday, my stockings and everything still on. "I'm going to change into something more comfortable," I laughed, as he helped me up.

I went to my suitcase and hung the quilt we had used last night up to make a room, like my old one. I quickly changed into a much simpler dress—plain yellow dress, resembling something closer to Mae's dresses than the old dresses I used to where. This way, it was so much more comfortable and it was much easier to run around in. Jesse was already done when I took the quilt down, and walked out. "Nice dress," Jesse smirked.

I smiled back out him, "Go ahead and laugh, but this is a lot easier to move in—not to mention a lot more comfortable," I walked over to him.

"You look beautiful in anything you wear," he said, as Mae walked into the room at that time.

"Good morning, Winnie, Jesse," she smiled at us both, "I hope you were warm enough last night—usually, it's warm though during the summers here."

She made breakfast and I helped open all the windows to let in fresh air and light. As Mae was still preparing breakfast, I turned to Jesse, "Do you have any paper? I want to write a letter to my parents telling them I'm okay."

"Of course," he gave me a quill and some paper, "Later we can go into town mail it out if you want."

"Thanks Jesse," I smiled at him.

So I wrote a letter, explaining the simple things—how I was in France right now, how beautiful it was over here, and how soon, I hoped, I would climb the Eiffel Tower. I made sure to say I was fine and having a great time and how much I loved them. And finally, when I was finished, I quickly ate breakfast with Mae and Jesse, as I learned Tuck and Miles were already at work which they had found in the shipyard. Afterward, Jesse and I slipped on our shoes and headed out, promising to pick up Mae some apples at the market while we were out so she could make a pie.

Jesse took the horse from a small barn by the cottage, and he helped me up to ride behind him. As we rode through the field, the wind blew my hair back and I held on to his waist. It was a lot of fun and we reached town in no time. He helped me down and we quickly bought the apples and sent my letter off to my parents all the way back in Treegap. Before heading back, though, Jesse and I wandered the streets a bit, looking in shop windows.

The sun was starting to set, though, so we did have to set back. But when we got back, there was someone at the cottage. And it wasn't just Mae or Tuck or Miles. From where we were, we saw Mae inviting in a man with a large suitcase. Jesse raced towards, the cottage and put the horse back in the barn, gripping my hand. Maybe we were just jumping to conclusions. Not everyone who visits you has to be a bad man. But who would just randomly come out to a stone cottage in the middle of nowhere? Jesse hadn't mentioned making any friends here either, and the look on his face right now wasn't suggesting that idea to be the truth. As we walked inside the cottage cautiously, hand in hand, the man turned to face us. "Ah," he purred, "this is the famous _fiancé—_the reason you wouldn't marry me, Winifred."

It was Mr. Jackson.

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><p><strong>Cliffhan<strong>**ger! I know I'm so evil. I leave you hanging for months and I'm going to leave you hanging again... I'm sorry. Next chapter will be up soon—I promise! No more huge breaks for me! ****Please continue to review and support me! **

**Lots of love, **

**JapanGirl0102 **


	8. The Man in the Yellow Suit's Son

**こんにちは****! Hello everyone!**

**I'm back with another chapter—I'm not trying to make you guys wait so long for chapter updates anymore. I'm going to try to finish off the story****. I'm studying hard! And guess what!? (sorry to include personal stuff, I'm so happy, I'm expressing it to the world). I never really explained much, but I study Japanese on my own and I teach myself. It's real****ly difficult and I've always looked into classes, but where I live, they won't be offered****. But! I finally got a grant from the state and I can take classes (for a credit) online! I'm really excited Anyway, enough about me. Please enjoy the chapter!**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: (I forgot the disclaimer in the last chapter, so it goes for Chpt. 7, too, of course). I still don't own Tuck Everlasting.<strong>

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><p><em><strong>Previously:<strong>_

_**Not everyone who visits you has to be a bad man. But who would just randomly come out to a stone cottage in the middle of nowhere? Jesse hadn't mentioned making any friends here either, and the look on his face right now wasn't suggesting that idea to be the truth. As we walked inside the cottage cautiously, hand in hand, the man turned to face us. "Ah," he purred, "this is the famous fiance—the reason you wouldn't marry me, Winifred."**_

_**It was Mr. Jackson.**_

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><p>"M-Mr. Jackson?" I stuttered.<p>

"Surprised to see me again, Winifred?" he sneered. Jesse pulled me back a bit, but I pushed my way back to the front, angry. It was my fiery personality—there's no way I'm standing in the background.

"Why are you here!?" I demanded. Why did he have to show up and ruin everything? Everything was supposed to be perfect—back with the Tucks and happy.

"You didn't really think you could get rid of me, did you?" he laughed. This man disgusted me.

"You know him, Winnie?" Mae just kind of stared at the man and looked at me and back at the man. Jesse had met the man in the yellow suit, all the Tucks had, but all of them were unaware of Mr. Jackson.

"This was the man I was supposed to marry," I spat out and Jesse tensed up beside me.

Mr. Jackson, being the horrid man he was, proceeded to tell the two Tucks everything that had happened the years they'd be gone. The walks, the dinners, the rides, and even the many ways I had refused him. He ended on my last day with my parents—and the journey in getting here. That's when I realized he'd been following me the whole time. Thinking back since I left my home, there had been odd occurrences. I'd just never thought anything of them. Actually hearing about how he'd been following me around, hunting me down almost as if I were his kill, his prey. It scared me. But... Why? "Why are you following me?" I asked, "Is there a reason for all of this? Why would you go to such lengths? You can't _actually_ want to marry me."

"Oh, Winifred, you'll never understand the relationship we had—I never wanted to marry you in the first place. You were never actually of any importance to me, I just needed you in the long run."

As much as I didn't want to marry him, the thought of almost being married to a man who was just going to use me split my heart in two right there. I wanted to scream and cry, as I'd wanted to many times in my life before. Who was he that he could say such things like this!? "So why then!?" Jesse demanded this time. I can tell he was just as angry—if not more angry from this conversation.

"You see, Winnie here drank the water."

… "What?" Mae asked blankly.

"Don't play around, Mrs. Tuck," he laughed, "I know all about the mystical waters. I grew up looking for the water; I live for that water."

"What kind of joke is this?" she sounded hysterical.

"You see, my father has always wanted his hands on that water. He ruined my life all for that water. He even left my mother and took me with him—all for the damned water. When I was six, only six, that's when I realized it," he laughed again and ran his hands through his hair, "I've always hated my father. I thought if I could find the water—if I could get the water to my father, I could finally leave. And finally, I found the water. But apparently, it wasn't enough for my father. Why? Because my father never actually wanted to _drink _the water."

"What do you mean?" Jesse asked.

"It's what every man wants—money, fame, power. He wanted to get the water and sell it. But he needed Winnie—he needed a display. Someone to show off how the water worked and how amazing it was. That's why I was going to marry Winnie. But then, you left! You ruined everything!" he screamed.

I stepped back, but stared the man in the face. I had too much hatred for the man to feel bad for him—if it weren't for that, I'd consider feeling bad for him. His story was pitiful , in fact. "Continue," I said, coldly.

He just laughed, quite insanely. "You had to ruin everything!"

"Calm down!" Jesse yelled and struck him across the face with his hand.

Mae looked terrified. Mr. Jackson seemed to calm down a bit. Suddenly, he pulled something out of his pocket—a shotgun. What was he trying to do!? Jesse was immediately in front of me again and I didn't push my way to the front again. I don't care if I won't die, I didn't want to get shot. I wasn't sure if I would die or not—I didn't trust the water right now. "Put the gun down!" Jesse shouted.

"Please put it down," Mae begged.

"Winnie, you ruined me. You—it was you who ruined me! If you would have just listened to your parents, married me... I would've been gone! Who knows, I may have even had a good life now?" He laughed once more—and pulled the trigger.

I screamed. He had shot the gun… at himself? I covered my mouth with both of hands, in fear that I would scream again, and Jesse hugged me tightly. I faintly heard him telling me it was okay, but the sound of the trigger replayed in my head several times over. I closed my eyes and tried to force the sound out of my head.

"W-why?" Mae was suddenly speaking again.

And then I heard his laugh. My eyes snapped open—he had drunken the water. That was the only thing that could have possibly happened. Because there he was, Mr. Jackson perfectly alive in front of me. There was no blood. No dead man lying in front of me. No pain? Was he hurting? Did he even _fee__l_ it? "W-why did you drink the water?" I gasped.

"My father needed a demonstration—remember? And you didn't fill that spot. I desperately followed you here, trying to retrieve you. But my father never had his hopes set on finding you anymore. Instead, his plan turned on me. He wanted me to drink the water. He made me drink it. He said we would start here—start selling the water here. He brought bottles and bottles of it."

"Did he make anyone else drink it!?" Mae asked, terrified for all the people who could have possibly drunken it by now.

"I drank it all," he smiled, "I drank it all and I freed myself."

"What?" Jesse snapped.

"I drank it all—and then I killed him," he chucked, "One bullet to the head was all it took to finish him off. Unlike me, he died. If only the person who would have drunken the water was himself... It wouldn't have happened."

Did he really kill his father? "How could you kill your own father?" I asked him.

"Easily. He ruined my life. All I could think about was ruining him, finishing him off. And I did."

"I don't believe it," I shook my head in disbelief.

"You don't?" he laughed and threw his suitcase to the ground.

"...Don't tell me..." Jesse took a step back, grabbing Mae and me.

At that moment Miles and Tuck walked in—they had just come home from working. And Miles had looked down at the ground. I could only see Miles face, Jesse had turned me away from the scene in front of me. What was it? Don't tell me it was true... that... Mae went to Tuck and I slowly turned around, ignoring Jesse's protests. I held on to his hand and turned all the way around. And there, laying on the floor, was the man in the yellow suit. Dead.

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><p><strong>So that was Chapter 8. Yeah~ I'm trying to wrap up the story now, draw conclusions. Please review! Thanks so much, you guys.<strong>

**ありがとうございます****! **


	9. Surprises for the Tucks

**Hey guys. I'm so sorry-I'm a loser. There are no excuses on why I haven't updated-I just haven't. I guess I could say something about me studying really hard lately or something, but still... Well here is the next chapter. **

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><p><em><strong> Disclaimer: I don't own Tuck Everlasting or any quotes from the book or movie used in my story.<strong>_

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><p>"<em><strong>...Don't tell me..." Jesse took a step back, grabbing Mae and me. <strong>_

_**At that moment Miles and Tuck walked in—they had just come home from working. And Miles had looked down at the ground. I could only see Miles face, Jesse had turned me away from the scene in front of me. What was it? Don't tell me it was true... that... Mae went to Tuck and I slowly turned around, ignoring Jesse's protests. I held on to his hand and turned all the way around. And there, laying on the floor, was the man in the yellow suit. Dead.**_

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><p>I immediately turned away again. Jesse led me out of the house—Tuck and Miles could easily take care of Mr. Jackson I hoped. But the only thoughts running through my head were: how do we get rid of him? As horrid as it sounded...<p>

_'He can't die now, will he always be after us?'_

_'He's a murderer, do we talk to the police?'_

_'Do we reveal the secret of the water by getting the constable?'_

"Jesse," I said, "What are we supposed to do about him?"

Jesse's face looked as if it were carved of stone. "I'm not sure," he murmured, "We'll have to talk to everyone else about what we're going to do. I'm sure you've thought of the possibilities, but there's no way we can talk to the local police. They'll figure out about the water if we do."

Jesse left to go inside to check with Miles and Tuck. I stayed with Mae outside the house. I wanted to be as far away from that man as possible. I didn't want to know what was going on inside. For Mae's sake though, I talked to her about normal things. Our lives and what was happened while they were gone some more. I skipped all the parts including Mr. Jackson. She told me more about herself and even began to talk about Miles's children and some other personal stuff. We simply sat by the lake and sat and sat. Finally, I started to get very worried about what was going on inside. The fact that none of them could die didn't comfort me at all. In fact, all it did was scare me more. I suddenly heard a gunshot. I immediately stood up—who got shot? I still didn't trust the water—I don't know how long it would take me before I did believe you really couldn't die. "Mae," I turned to her.

She nodded her head and we walked toward the cottage. When we got inside, things got crazy. There on the floor, lay Mr. Jackson. And he was on the floor—and he wasn't moving. Tuck held a gun and was shaking a bit. "H-How?" I came over to Jesse.

"H-He shot himself earlier!" I said suddenly, "This is impossible."

"He must have faked shooting himself or something," Jesse's voice was flat, "I honestly don't know."

Miles checked his pulse, "He's dead."

It was quiet for a moment, but Miles broke the silence.

"Not only do we have one dead body in this house—but now we have two," he stood, "What are we going to do now?"

But we didn't have time to say anything else, there was banging on the door and we all turned to look at each other. Mae suddenly shoved Miles, Jesse, and I out the back and before I knew what was going on, we were fleeing to town as quickly as we could. "What's going to happen to Mae and Tuck!?" I asked.

"I don't know," Jesse pulled me along, "We have to get out of here first."

We ran all the way to town and didn't get caught. It was the constable at the cottage. Once in town, we slowed our pace, but the thoughts in my mind raced. After a few minutes of silence, Miles spoke up. "This is going to sound crazy, but we know that they're going to be arrested. We need to get them out—and leave."

Jesse and I looked at him. "What's the plan then, Miles?" I asked him.

"I'm not quite sure yet."

Jesse suddenly jerked his head up a bit, "I'm not sure if an idea like this is even possible… But it's worth a shot."

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><p><strong>*Later that Night*<strong>

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><p>The cloudless night sky was filled with bright stars, which seemed to twinkle and taunt me as I snuck quietly and quickly along with Jesse and Miles, the three of us cloaked. The appearance of the night was peaceful and calm—almost happy with the stars. But I knew it couldn't be anything farther from that. Instead, we'd be attempting to break into Tuck and Mae's cell to free them. Well, correction, <em>I'd<em> be attempting to break into their cell. Jesse and Miles would be "the distraction". I could only pray everything went according to Jesse's crazy plan. We had the horse hitched and ready to leave as soon as we were finished here. We couldn't stay a moment longer once we were done—it was too risky.

We reached the front of the local jailhouse, and I looked back at Jesse and Miles. They both gave me slight nods, indicating I could begin. While the two got into position, I quickly ran inside. I faintly saw the constable behind another door, and I located the key behind his head. I had to get him out of the office fast and make sure he didn't grab them. Quickly dashing over to his office, I presumed, I began beating on the door and screaming.

"Help, help!" I screamed, beating harder and harder on the door. He stirred a bit, indicating he must have been asleep.

He came over to the door, in mixed confusion. I completely forgot that small detail—he spoke French. I was in panic now—we hadn't thought this plan through well enough. I decided to just go with it. I'd been educated a bit in French; please let it save me now. I mostly used hand signs to guide me through. I pushed him towards the door a bit, yelling help in French now. I pointed outside and nudged him more, shouting things like "man" and "attack" in French. He vaguely got the idea and went outside, saying something to me in French. Once he exited, I ran into the office, snatching the keys. Hopefully, Jesse and Miles would keep him preoccupied now.

I focused my attention only on the task at hand and faster than I knew I could go, I found the cell Mae and Tuck were in. Stories could be told later, so I explained nothing, but fiddled with the keys frantically. Finally, I found the key and opened the cell. "Miles and Jesse are distracting the constable. We should be able to escape out of the back while they take care of him."

They agreed and I quickly ran to put the keys back as I heard a gunshot out front. My breath came a short, but I regained my senses. _Jesse and Miles would be fine—just focus on what you have to do, Winnie._ A sense of justice mixed with guilt settled into my stomach as I returned his keys. I was too easily distracted to execute a plan like this too well. My feelings were getting in the way now. "_Pull through, Winnie,_" I made my way back to Mae and Tuck, as we hurried out the back.

When we had made it outside, glancing towards the front where I had entered the jailhouse, it appeared the constable was nervously looking about at the two men, who he'd tried to shoot. Using the distraction, I led Mae and Tuck to the horse and we prepared to leave. I wondered vaguely when Jesse and Miles would end the charade, but the constable really wasn't giving them an opening to just leave. In fact, we were causing a disturbance now. Any minute now, a person may wander over to see what's going on or more reinforcement may come. Jesse and Miles must have sensed it, too and figured time was running out, for they suddenly chased the poor man. He was scared free of his rational wits by this point, and he didn't stop. Instead, down the street he went, not paying any attention to what may happen back at the jailhouse—he only cared to get away from the two "crazy murderers".

Miles looked back to see Mae, Tuck, and I ready, and quickly pulled Jesse along back to the horse.

"Where will we go?" Mae looked at Tuck. Things needed to be decided now—and faster than ever.

No one answered—no one had even thought this far into the plan yet. "We just have to get out of here for now," Miles climbed up, Jesse following him. "We can worry about the rest later."

I nodded, agreeing, and Jesse sat down next to me. For a slight moment, in this beautiful French town, surrounded by all of the Tucks under the cloudless, starry night, things seemed just right. But it was only for the slightest moment. For then, Tuck, with the single flick of a wrist, started the horse off with alarming speed as we quickly sped out of the what-seemed-to-be a quaint, peaceful little town.

And we didn't know where we were going or where we would end up in the hours to come. We all held guilt and sorrow deep down. But, we were all together and as long as we were together, we could keep going for now.

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><p><strong>Thank you for being so patient with me... If you're wondering why the heck I left his death so vague, I just felt that it would be best that way. I didn't want it to be some crazy out there kind of thing and I wanted to be kind of mysterious and still leave people wandering if he really is dead or not-including Winnie. Anyway, I thank you a lot for putting up with an author like me... Thank you so much for your continued support!<strong>


	10. What the Future Might Hold

**I know the story chapters have been shorter and the story seemed to be moving faster. But this is the last chapter. It's been fun writing this story, even though I did take a HUGE break right in the middle of it and another HUGE break at the end. I hope you enjoyed my story!**

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><p><em><strong>Disclaimer: <em><strong> I don't own Tuck Everlasting or any quotes from the book or movie used in my story.<strong>_**_

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><p><strong>*10 Years Later*<strong>

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><p>There are things in the world that never made sense to me. Mr. Jackson's death still makes no sense to me. For that day, I was almost certain he had shot himself. But, later on, he was dead. How? Had he really shot the air instead of himself? I hadn't been watching, so I don't know for sure… But wouldn't I have heard the bullet hit something else? As curious as I was on this topic to this day, I didn't bring it up. No one wanted to talk about it. And regardless of my curiosity, there was a fear in me that if I brought the subject matter up, somehow, Mr. Jackson would return. Somehow he would show up at our doorstep—now located in England—and declare that he hadn't died at all that day. I mean, couldn't it be possible? If the water was possible, who knew what was possible. I suppose that's what scared me the most.<p>

With all the time in the world, you don't rush to get things done. And sure, at first I thought taking life slow was a nice and enjoyable way to live life. But after a couple more years, I got sick of it. It was slow and that left my mind to pondering the thoughts that haunted me. The man in the yellow suit, Mr. Jackson, and my parents—how were they? Where were they? I would have to write them another letter soon and see how they fared…

Then again, I didn't want to go back to my old way of life. Living in the fast speed of things again scared me also. I felt helpless in the world for a while. Perhaps I exaggerated too much though. Jesse told me once that if I worried too much, I would die of stress anyway, regardless of the water. But he had laughed the joke off in the end and hugged me and we'd gone on with the day knowing that it would never actually happen.

That night when we had escaped from the small town in France, we had kept travelling on for days and days. Eventually we decided to make our way to England, but we had to earn some money before we did so. Miles and Jesse found small jobs and made up enough money to get us where we needed to go, though. Once we had reached England, nothing went wrong either. In fact, I was happy, Jesse was happy—everyone was happy.

Jesse and I had even gotten married in England. I remember how happy Mae's face had been. She had cried and went through about how she never thought Jesse would have the chance to get married. Mae's happiness had made me even happier that day.

That was all about eight years ago, though. Jesse dared to go back to France with me after we got married. He told me he had promised to climb every step to the top of the Eiffel Tower with me—and that's exactly what we did. We stayed in Paris for a week and explored the town. On our second day there, we climbed the tower and overlooked the city. The view had been amazing, no doubt, but it didn't compare to the view back in Treegap. Sure you could see miles and miles of beautiful buildings, millions of people, and everything, but the painful memory of Jesse's "Eiffel Tower" back in Treegap sure did sound like a good place to go.

I think secretly we all had wanted to go back to Treegap. So we did. About three years after we had returned from France, Jesse and I made arrangements to go back to Treegap. Mae, Tuck, and Miles had all agreed they'd like to go back and see the town once more also. I had written my parents, telling them that I would be visiting them. I had written about Jesse, but I hadn't actually told my parents I had married him. Call me a coward, but I was afraid. I hadn't invited my parents to the wedding—in fact, it wasn't much of a wedding anyway. It was in the home we had in England and its guests consisted only of the Tucks. Plus, we hadn't signed any legal papers or anything—so all in all, I suppose we weren't actually married anyway, but we liked to think we were.

Arriving in Treegap brought no surprises though. It looked all exactly the same, including my old home. Walking inside, my parents were delighted to see me, though my mother did mention how she was disappointed in my current appearance, but I brushed it off, telling her I loved her. I told them of where I had gone in the world and what I had done. The small talk we had made me happy. I felt like I had never left my parents, which was a good feeling. Quite honestly, I can't say I've felt like my parents and I ever had a close relationship. That was a long time ago though.

The Tucks had wanted to return to Treegap once more, even though we knew going again could be a bit hazardous. So only two years ago, we went once more. I had met with my parents once more—and I decided it would be the last time I did so. My parents' age had caught up with them—it was obvious to tell how they had grown over the years since I had left them. But for me, I was still the teenage girl I was when I left. I had tried to make myself look a bit older—I had pinned back my hair and put on clothes that weren't really fitting for a fifteen year old girl's frame. I even attempted certain make-ups that I'd acquired in Paris, which I had never even used, before I visited my parents. In the end, it made no difference. I was pretty sure my parents could tell I was not growing at all.

I continued to write letters at least a couple times a year to my parents, but I no longer made any attempt to visit them. That's when I hit my slump. I wasn't nearly as old as the Tucks—all of them over a hundred years old—but I felt the effects of the water earlier than I thought I would.

Perhaps it was because of the fact that I knew I had lost a sense of connection with my parents. Sure, sending mail counted, but deciding not to see them again was a big step for me. It showed me just how difficult this life would be. The sad truth to it all was that I wondered if things would be easier once all the people I had all known were dead. Or would it just be that much harder?

I contemplated things so much it's only obvious that Jesse and the others noticed. In fact, that's when Jesse and I left the Tucks for a year. Where did we go? Oh, nowhere in particular. Jesse took me halfway around the world and back that year, though. He showed me different places he and Miles used to go to, places where the Tucks had lived before, and we even stayed one hotel that Jesse had stayed in so long ago that the owners had changed twice.

At first the trip really had no impact on me whatsoever. But it did eventually do the trick and Jesse had somehow managed to put the life back in me.

After a year of travelling, we settled back in with the Tucks and another year passed, which brings us to today…

"Winnie," Jesse came through the door with Miles, and they were both laughing as I looked up at them. Mae and I had stayed home and we were baking together.

"Hm?" I put down the spoon I was using, and Mae turned towards the two also.

He came over and kissed me swiftly before Miles told about what they had done in town that day. Jesse and Miles both currently held jobs at a port here. "Anyway," Jesse started, "Look what I got!"

He placed a large barrel of apples on the countertop. "Where'd you get these?" Mae asked him, in awe. There were so many.

We lived in a busy port city in England, so apples weren't as common here as fish or other things. Most of the apples they sold at the markets didn't look like these—they looked yellow and a bit like they had travelled too far to get here. "My boss gave 'em to me; apparently he has a son who lives a bit away from here and he brought 'im a couple barrels full because the harvest was good this year. He gave these to me."

I smiled and Jesse took one and bit into it. They did look delicious and I tried one also. Mae suddenly smiled, "How about apple pie?"

And so the rest of the evening, Mae and I worked on an apple pie to go with flapjacks for supper. Tuck returned too, eventually. He spent his days in the wood, which lie just beyond this city and took about a half an hours walk from our place. We liked our new home here, but we had all been happiest in Treegap. And Tuck was an outdoorsman it seemed. He enjoyed carving things into the wood and would often make various things out in the wood.

Today he came home with something he had carved for Mae. After sitting down to eat the flapjacks and apple pie, Tuck played music and Jesse danced around with me. It was just as if we were back in Treegap those many years ago. The wheel of time may have stopped for us Tucks, but at this moment it felt like maybe, just maybe, the wheel of time had begun to spin once more.

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><p><strong>And this is the end guys. I know it's taken me so long to get this point and it's been difficult for me to honestly stick with this story. But I really didn't want to quit or give up on it. This is the first multi-chapter fanfiction I've ever written, so I feel that this was a great experience for me even if it was difficult. I hope that you guys enjoyed it and I'm sorry if it wasn't to your liking, but I've tried my best and I'm happy with it. :)<strong>

**Lots of love and thanks for the ongoing support...**

**-JapanGirl0102**


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